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Where Bear Meets Bryant, Again and Again

CreditBryan Meltz for The New York Times

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — At a picnic behind the Paul W. Bryant Museum on Saturday afternoon, Chloe Hall called out to her brother to ask him where the trash can was.

“Bryant!” she yelled. At least fifteen heads turned toward her.Chloe, 9, was attending the 20th Bear Bryant Namesake Reunion, an event held annually on the day of Alabama’s football home opener to recognize people like her brother who are named for Paul William Bryant, the legendary coach of Alabama’s football team from 1958 to 1982. This year’s event preceded the second-ranked Crimson Tide’s 37-10 victory over Middle Tennessee State, filling the sunny courtyard behind the museum with a multigenerational, crimson-bedecked collection of Bryants, Pauls and Williams, and at least one Bear.